Leaves of Three Let Them Be
Let’s workshop this poem about how stereotypes are often, and have long been, a vital tool for survival and effective agency—downright guardian angels (with us since before we were huddling in trees)
scent of the day: Ambra Aurea, by Profumum Roma (knocks my socks off—an expansive surprise)
Leaves of Three Let Them Be
Blind tasting—unswayed
by labels and preconceptions—
makes sense for sommeliers,
but when it comes especially
to surviving on the front lines
labels and preconceptions
are our saviors—only we must
be open to dropping them
in the face of new evidence.
The poem "Leaves of Three Let Them Be" meditates on the tension between intuition, learned knowledge, and adaptability in navigating both ordinary and high-stakes situations. The title itself references the common adage warning of poison ivy, symbolizing the necessity of learned caution in the natural world. The phrase also sets the thematic stage for the poem’s exploration of when to trust preconceptions and when to challenge them.
In the first stanza, the metaphor of a blind tasting—commonly used in wine appreciation to strip away biases associated with labels—introduces the idea that we are often better served when freed from the weight of preconceptions. For sommeliers, whose craft is deeply tied to sensory perception, removing biases is necessary to fully understand the essence of what is tasted. The implicit argument is that, in areas of subjective judgment or fine distinctions, this approach enables greater clarity and authenticity. However, the poem pivots sharply in its second stanza, where it shifts the context from leisure or craft to survival, specifically on the "front lines." Here, the stakes are higher, and the dismissing of labels or preconceptions becomes not only impractical but dangerous.
The poem highlights a fundamental human dilemma: balancing the wisdom of experience—"labels and preconceptions"—with the need to remain open to new information. Labels are initially portrayed as "saviors," suggesting that our ability to categorize and interpret the world based on past knowledge is crucial for survival, especially in volatile or unpredictable environments. Yet the poem does not endorse rigid adherence to these preconceptions. The closing lines emphasize flexibility: the ability to "drop them in the face of new evidence." This nuanced argument underscores the poem's central theme—that the most adaptive and intelligent approach to the world involves a balance between relying on past knowledge and being open to change when circumstances demand it.
The poem, though concise, engages deeply with cognitive and philosophical issues, such as epistemology (how we know what we know) and the psychology of decision-making under uncertainty. It suggests that in a world marked by complexity and unpredictability, the survival of both individuals and societies depends not just on the knowledge they have accumulated but on their capacity to revise that knowledge when confronted with new truths. This openness to reconsidering one’s assumptions is framed as essential not only in intellectual pursuits but also in life-and-death situations, making it a universal call for intellectual humility and adaptability.
preconceptions, survival, adaptability, intellectual humility, blind tasting, labels, cognitive flexibility, epistemology, decision-making, new evidence.